Stair climbers ascended 71 flights at 4 World Trade Center Thursday evening in the name of cancer research, taking part in the largest public event the building has hosted since it opened in November.

David Hill stretches before ‘Runyon Up’ a fundraiser for the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation at 4 World Trade Center on Thursday. See more photos in our slideshow.

Andrew Hinderaker for The Wall S

Nearly 700 people took part in the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation fundraiser, which filled the sleek building’s no-frills stairwells with climbers in sneakers and volunteers who delivered water and support along the way. So far, just under $173,000 has been raised.

Osamu Sassa, the project architect for the tower for Tokyo’s Maki and Associates, which designed it, completed the climb and said the experience was a bit emotional. He lost both of his parents to cancer during the seven years he spent working on the building.

“There’s something I guess poetic in a way that there is such an event for such a good cause, and it’s in the intimate setting of a building I know very well,” he said. Read More »